Unlock your house with your phone from anywhere

Apigy, Inc., a company out of Mountain View, California, announced the launch of a deadbolt for your front door that you can unlock by swiping your phone. The Lockitron Bolt connects to your phone through its app that sends a signal through the internet to unlock or lock it. Of course, you can still use your normal key if you wish.

There’s no slot for a physical key but it can be opened with the card-keys you normally have at hotels. The lock can be opened up from smartphones running the software from wherever you are in the world as long as you have an internet connection. It can also be opened using Bluetooth 4.0.

A neat little feature is that you can also share access to others temporarily so you can let a mate in when you’re not home. The application is equipped with an activity log that allows you to see who has entered and exited your home.It’s also a pretty handy thing to have if you rent out your apartment like Joey Mucha and his San Francisco apartment available for short stays on airbnb.

“I’ve had a guest stay with me, and I wasn’t even in the same state,” Mr. Mucha said. “I was in Arizona, and I let them in remotely through my phone using Lockitron.”

Lockitron made news a few years ago when it raised funds on Kickstarter and by taking pre-orders for its connected door lock all on its own. The experiment was a success, at least for the company. After $2.2 million in pre-orders, Lockitron was slow to get units shipped out. Now the company is pivoting to revamp the smart lock with this new hardware.

Kickstarter backers will get priority when the new Lockitron Bolt ships in March as a preview unit. A more finished version will follow sometime this spring, and both will be priced at $99. Although, it’s up to you whether or not you believe Lockitron this time.